New t-shirt transmits heart activity straight to doctors

European Space Agency chooses to use 'Niturit' an ordinary t-shirt made of fabric that doesn’t absorb sweat which was developed by Israeli-Portuguese team.

By MAYA EHRMANN/ NOCAMELS
scientific illustration 311 (photo credit: Zeerya Pyrithea)
scientific illustration 311
(photo credit: Zeerya Pyrithea)
Maya Ehrmann writes for No Camels.
A t-shirt that tests heart activity, called Niturit has recently been developed by an Israeli-Portuguese team. The t-shirt can test heart activity and transmit the data to a medical center in real time. The European Space Agency has already chosen to use this t-shirt to test their astronauts.
EKG  (electrocardiographs) and holter examinations are common examinations which monitor the heart’s activity over a period of 24-72 hours, but they can be cumbersome. With this t-shirt, the astronauts can continue their daily routine while having their heart activity monitored.
The Niturit, developed by the University of Aveiro in Portugal and the Israeli “Moked Enosh” center (also responsible for the development of the emergency button twenty years ago), is an ordinary t-shirt made of fabric that doesn’t absorb sweat. Electrodes are embedded in the shirt that can transmit a record of heart activity over a number of hours and for up to 4 consecutive days. The examination captures irregularities in heart rate and other disorders that may point to heart disease or arterial blockages.
The t-shirt is being offered as part of examinations by the Moked Enosh center, at the cost of 400NIS ($117). Doctors from the center come to the patients’ homes and guide them through the examination. The Niturit is already being marketed in Portugal, Spain and Brazil and is available in various sizes.
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